DES MOINES — A former lottery security official was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for rigging a computerized Hot Lotto game in 2010 in an attempt to win a $14 million jackpot in Iowa.

Eddie Tipton never got any of the money, but a jury convicted him in July on two counts of fraud. The 52-year-old also was accused of trying to get acquaintances to cash the prize for him without revealing his identity.

Prosecutors said Tipton inserted a stealth program into the computer that randomly picked the numbers, then deleted it so it could not be detected. Defense attorneys denied the allegations, saying that prosecutors had insufficient evidence.

Judge Jeffrey Farrell told Tipton during Thursday’s sentencing hearing that his violation of trust was the biggest factor in him receiving the maximum sentence on each count.

Farrell noted that Tipton’s job was to ensure the lottery wasn’t breached and that no one cheated the game.

‘‘This is about as large an invasion of trust as I can possibly imagine. That is something the court considers to be significant in regard to the gravity of this offense,’’ the judge said, adding that a prison sentence was necessary to deter others from considering such crimes.

Tipton appealed and remains free on bond.

--more--"Now if you will excuse me, I need to go purchase some Powerball tickets.

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